One Pint, Countless Lives: Why donating at the UI DeGowin Blood Center matters

By Internal Medicine at Iowa

Many blood donors and non-donors alike know there is a seemingly endless demand for whole blood, plasma, platelets, and other blood products in health systems, especially during the winter months and particularly for Type O blood (the universal donor). What people may not know is the intricate journey this blood takes, from being developed in the body, to collection and safe storage, to the testing and delivery that can help patients affected by traumatic injuries, childbirth hemorrhage, transplants, cancers, and more. This process is cross-divisional and cross-specialty; every area of health care benefits from blood donation, whether it be for research, testing, or treatment.

University of Iowa Health Care’s DeGowin Blood Center is located within the university campus, with 100% of the donations received in the center going to UI Health Care patients. In 2024, the center provided around 8,000 transfusable components or units (each donation, whether whole blood or apheresis, can be split into more than one transfusable component), and DeGowin’s six clinical technicians, seven student phlebotomists, donor nurse, and administrative staff all work tirelessly to increase awareness about the need for blood donations.

And it’s no wonder why; to put it in perspective:

These numbers tell the story of blood donation: - 1 in 7 people will need to use donated blood. - Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs donated blood. - 1 donated pint of blood can save 2 lives after being separated into 2 products: red blood cells and plasma. - Red blood cells can be stored for only 42 days. - Platelets must be used within just 7 days from the point of collection. - Fewer than 10% of eligible donors donate blood each year.

It is not currently possible for blood products to be made in a lab, so the Center (and, by association, UI Health Care patients) relies on the generosity of donors for whole blood and platelets. As such, drives like the 2024 Big Ten and Abbott We Give Blood Drive are incredibly important to help educate potential donors. The University of Iowa participated in last year’s drive, a nationwide challenge from Sept. 26 through Dec. 6, in which 18 universities competed to track donations in real time and attempt to win a $1,000,000 grant to improve student and community health. Iowa participants donated blood on the university campus, at blood drives, or at any other blood center, specifying that they wanted their donation to contribute to Iowa’s count. Of the Big Ten schools that participated, the University of Iowa came in sixth place with 1,215 donations; it is estimated that the drive as a whole saved 60,000 lives.

This amazing accomplishment was only possible because of the efforts of donors and the hardworking staff of blood centers like DeGowin, and the impact can be felt community-wide. Many employees of UI Health Care are regular donors, and some have even undergone their own life-saving treatments using locally donated blood products.

Ever striving to meet patient needs, DeGowin has a goal to increase their donation count in this year’s 2025 Big Ten and Abbott We Give Blood Drive, to be held in the fall, as well as through the many smaller drives they hold throughout the year.

To schedule a donation, locate a blood drive, or for more information about the DeGowin Blood Center, visit their website.

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